Xander Schauffele made the perfect birthday wish before his second round at the Zozo Championship

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Due to the vagaries of time zones, Xander Schauffele enjoyed an “early” 31st birthday celebration at the Zozo Championship on Friday. Before his second round at Narashino Country Club, Schauffele was presented with a birthday cake and asked to make a wish as he blew out the candle. Schauffele thought for a moment before making a very relatable plea to the birthday gods …

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That’s golf for ya. You could be the second-ranked player in the world who won half the year’s majors and played a pivotal role for Team USA at the Presidents Cup, and still be praying to Old Tom Morris to avoid a blow-up hole. Rich, poor, tall, short, this game is truly the great equalizer.

Schauffele’s birthday wish wasn’t just boilerplate superstition, however. It was a riff on his opening round on Thursday, which was marred by a quad-bogey 8 on the ninth hole after his tee shot came to a rest at the foot of a tree. Instead of backing down and taking a drop, Schauffele attempted to play his way out of trouble (twice!) before admitting defeat.

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The good news is that Schauffele’s wish was honored, as he rallied to a five-under 65 on Friday without a single square on his scorecard. As far as birthday gifts go, you can’t ask for much more than that.

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com